ᐊᑯᑦᑐᔫᒃ (ᐅᓪᓗᕆᐊᒃ ᐅᐱᕐᖓᒃᓵᒥ)
ᐃᙱᖅᑐᖅ ᒫᑕ ᓇᓱᒃ

Akuttujuuk (Stars that Herald Spring)
Sung by Martha Nasook

ᐊᑯᑦᑐᔫᒃ! ᓴᖅᑭᒋᔅᓯᒃ!
ᐅᓪᓘᓕᕋᓗᐊᖅᐳᖅ.
ᖁᕕᓱᒃᐳᖓᓗ
ᐃᓅᒐᒪ ᓱᓕ
ᐅᓪᓗᖅᑐᓯᕙᓪᓕᐊᓕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ
ᓯᓂᖕᓂᐊᓕᖅᐳᖓ

Michael Massie Creativity of the Spirit: Distant Relations (c. 2013) Stone, bone, ebony and brass 22.9 x 20.3 x 12.7 cm COURTESY WADDINGTON’S AUCTIONEERS AND APPRAISERS, TORONTO
ᒪᐃᑯᓪ ᒫᓯ ᑑᕐᖓᕐᒧᑦ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᑕᐅᔪᖅ: ᐃᓚᒌᒃᑐᑦ (2013) ᐅᒃᑯᓯᒃᓴᖅ, ᓴᐅᓂᖅ, ᕿᔪᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᕕᕋᔭᒃ 22.9 × 20.3 × 12.7 ᓴᓐᑕᒦᑕ ᑐᓂᔭᐅᔪᖅ ᐅᑯᓇᖓᑦ WADDINGTON’S AUCTIONEERS AND APPRAISERS, ᑐᕌᓐᑐ 

There is so much joy in anticipation that the excitement of things to come is sometimes even more delightful than the actual event. In this short song, stars are harbingers of the longer, brighter days of spring. For Inuit, seasons don’t follow the typical four-season cycle, but instead follow weather and animal migration patterns with regional variation (usually six seasons, sometimes more). The period after the coldest days of winter brings better hunting and warmer days spent basking in the sunlight that reflects off the bright gleaming snow.

In the accompanying carving, Michael Massie, CM, RCA, combines stone, bone, ebony and brass to great effect and captures the wonder that humans gazing into the heavens have felt for millennia. The shine of the brass in the right light twinkles like stars, while the figure’s large round eyes take in the grandeur of the sky. One can imagine the light specks of green in the dark stone as the very constellations of which the singer speaks.

ᖁᕕᐊᓇᒻᒪᕆᒃᐳᖅ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᖁᕕᐊᓇᖅᑐᑦ ᑎᑭᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᑭᓯᐊᓂᓕ ᖁᕕᐊᓇᒃᑲᓐᓂᒪᕆᒃᑐᖅ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᒌᒃᖢᓂ ᑕᕝᕙᓂ ᓇᐃᑦᑐᑯᓗᖕᒥᑦ ᐃᖏᐅᓯᕐᒥᒃ ᑕᑯᒃᓴᐅᑎᑦᑎᕗᑦ, ᐊᑯᓂᐅᓂᖅᓴᒥᒃ ᐅᓪᓘᓂᐊᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐅᐱᕐᒑᒃᑯᑦ. ᐃᓄᖕᓄᓪᓕ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᑕᓪᓕᒪᐅᔪᑦ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᓲᖑᔪᑦ ᓲᕐᓗ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᒥᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅ, ᐅᐱᕐᖓᒃᓵᖅ, ᐊᐅᔭᖅ, ᐅᑭᐊᒃᓵᓯ, ᒪᓕᓲᖑᖏᒻᒪᑕ ᑭᓯᐊᓂᓕ ᒪᓕᓲᖑᔪᑦ ᓯᓚ ᖃᓄᐃᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᖓᓂᒃ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓂᕐᔪᑏᑦ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᓂᐊᕐᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓇᒧᖓᓂᐊᕐᓂᖏᓐᓂᒡᓗ (ᑕᐃᒪᓕ ᒪᓕᓲᖑᕗᑦ ᐃᒻᒪᖄ 6-ᓄᑦ ᐅᕝᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᐊᒥᓲᓂᖅᓴᓄᑦ). ᑕᐃᒪᓕ ᐅᑭᐅᒃᑯᑦ ᓂᒡᓚᓱᒻᒪᕆᓚᐅᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᓲᖑᕗᑦ ᐅᖅᑰᓯᕙᓪᓕᐊᓂᐊᕐᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᐊᖑᓇᓱᒍᓐᓇᑦᑎᐊᕐᓂᐊᕐᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᖅᑰᓯᕙᓪᓕᐊᓂᐊᕐᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᓯᕿᓂᕐᒧᓪᓗ ᐆᓇᖅᑐᒧᑦ ᐃᒃᐱᒍᓱᑦᑎᐊᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᐳᑎᒧᑦ ᐊᐅᒃᐸᓪᓕᐊᔾᔪᑕᐅᓂᐊᖅᖢᓂ. ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᓂᖓ ᓴᓇᖑᐊᓂᒃ, ᒪᐃᑯ ᒫᓯ, ᑲᑎᖅᓱᐃᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᐅᔭᖅᑲᓂᒃ, ᓴᐅᓂᕐᓂᒃ, ᕿᔪᖕᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᕕᕋᔭᖕᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᒃᓴᐅᑎᑦᑎᓇᓱᒃᖢᓂ ᖃᓄᖅ ᐃᓄᓕᒫᑦᑎᐊᑦ ᑕᑯᖃᑦᑕᖅᑕᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᓂᒃ ᐊᒥᓱᒻᒪᕆᐊᓗᖕᓂᒃ. ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᓴᕕᕋᔭᐃᑦ ᓯᕿᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᖃᐅᒻᒪᒃᑎᑕᐅᒑᖓᑕ ᕿᓪᓕᖅᓯᓲᖑᕗᑦ ᓲᕐᓗ ᐅᓪᓗᕆᐊᑎᑐᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᐃᓄᖑᐊᑦ ᐃᔨᖏ ᑕᐅᑐᖑᐊᖅᖢᑎᒃ ᑕᑉᐸᐅᖓ ᕿᓚᖕᒧᑦ.

This Feature was first published in the Spring 2021 issue of the Inuit Art Quarterly.

ᐃᓕᓴᐱ ᖁᓚᐅᑦ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑑᓕᖅᑎᑕᖓ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑎᑐᓕᖅᑎᑕᐅᔪᖅ ᔭᐃᐱᑎ ᐊᕐᓇᑲᒃᒧᑦ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑎᑑᓕᖅᑎᑕᐅᔪᖅ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᖅᑕᐅᔪᑦ ᒪᓂᑲ ᐃᑦᑐᒃᓵᕐᔪᐊᕐᒧᑦ

Translation by Elizabeth Qulaut. Poems translated by Jaypeetee Arnakak. Translations edited by Monica Ittusardjuat. 

 


This series was made possible with the generous support of the Ontario Arts Council.